Method for reducing the surface adhesiveness of articles



- R. H. SPERZEL 2,438,622

METHOD FOR REDUCING THE SURFACEADHESIVENESS OF ARTICLES March 30, 1948.

Filed Aug 17, 1944 ROBERT H. SPERZEL JWMW Patented Mar. 30, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHODFOR REDUCING THE SURFACE ADHESIVENESS OF ARTICLES Application August 17, 1944, Serial No. 549,939

6 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to improvements in methods for reducing the surface-adhesiveness of articles having tacky surfaces such, for instance, as wire insulated with rubber or the like, elastic strands, etc.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a simple, reliable and effective method for reducing the surface-adhesiveness of articles having tacky surfaces.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a superior method of the character referred to, and characterized by minimum consumption of adhesiveness-reducing materials.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a superior method for reducing thesure face-adhesiveness of articles having tacky surfaces, and characterized by avoidance of air pollution.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a superior method of the character referred to whereby the adhesiveness of the surfaces of tacky articles may be reduced without requiring the employment of hazardous and disagreeable dusty materials.

With the above and other objects in view, as

will appear to those skilled in the art from the present disclosure, this invention includes all features in the said disclosure which are novel over the prior art.

In the accompanying drawings, in which certain modes of carrying out the present invention are shown for illustrative purposes:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of one form of apparatus suitable for carrying out the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an end view thereof; and

Fig. 3 is a view in vertical central-longitudinal section taken on the line 3-3 of'Fig. 2, but on a larger scale.

The apparatus illustrated in the accompanying drawings is designed and adapted to provide for the production of a large mass of bubbles of any suitable froth-producing and adhesiveness-reducing material such, for instance, as watersoluble soaps, water-insoluble soaps, sulphonatedalcchcls, pine oil, etc.

The apparatus illustrated is in the form of an elongated rectangular tank ill which may be produced of any suitable material such, for instance, as sheet metal, and in the instance shown, in-

cludes a front-wall I I, a rear-wall I2 and endwalls l3 and M. The said walls are all integrally connected by a bottom-wall l5.

Secured to the upper portion of the rear-wall 12 just referred to,by means of hinges l6 and i1, is a cover-plate la. The end-wall l3 is-formed with an upwardly-opening clearance-notch or -passage H] which isin alignment with a similar clearance-notch or -passage 2c in the complemental end-wall l4.

Substantially centrally, the bottom-wall l5 of the tank in has connected thereto in a fluidtightmanner, a pipe 2| opening into the interior of the said tank [0 and leading from any suitable source of compressed air or other suitable gas.

A strand 22'to be coated, extends through the aligned clearance-notches l9 and 20 of the tank Ill. The said tank may be charged with any suitable froth-producing coating liquid 23 such, for instance, as an aqueous solution of ordinary water-soluble soap, sulphonated-alcohol or pine oil. The upper surface of the liquid 23 is at a level well below the bottom edges of the clearance-notches l9 and 2c, and preferably substantially as illustrated in Fig. 3. Air or other suitable gas may now be forced through the pipe 21 upwardly though the froth-producing liquid 23 in the bottom of the tank I 0, to create the body of froth or bubbles 24 schematically illustrated in the upper portion of the said tank in Fig. 3.

Preferably, two baffle-plates 25 andv 26 are respectively mounted in the respective opposite end-portions of the tank It), as is especially well shown in Fig. 3. The baffle-plate 25 extends parallel with the end-wall l3 and between the front-wall H and rear-wall l2, though spaced slightly inwardly with respect to the said endwall l3. In its upper edge, the baffle-plate 25 is formed with an upwardly-opening clearancenotch 21 similar to the clearance-notches l9 and 2c before referred to and in alignment therewith longitudinally of the structure. The lower edge of the bafile plate 25 extends parallel with, but is spaced slightly above the bottom-wall [5 of the tank to permit the flow of the fluid 23.

The baflie-plate 26 extends from front to rear between the front-wall H and the rear-wall I! of the tank in parallelism with the adjacent endinsoluble in the aforesaid coating-liquid.

i 7 effective for the purpose intended.

wall l4, but spaced inwardly therefrom. Like the baffle-plate 25, the bafiie-plate 26 is formed in its upper edge with an upwardly-opening clearancenotch 28 aligned with the clearance-notches I9, 20 and 21 before referred to. The lower edge of the baflie-plate 26 is also spaced above the bottom-wall l5 to permit the flow of the fluid 23.

The strand 22 or its equivalent may be conveniently located in the apparatus by raising the cover-plate l8 and moving the said strand 22 laterally downwardly into the clearance-notches I9, 20, 21 and 28.

Now, when the strand 22 is moved lengthwise by any suitable means, it will pass through the froth or bubbles 24 and will receive on its s'ur-,

face an exceedingly-thin coating which will ef- I fectively reduce the adhesiveness or tackiness of the surface of the said strand and thus enable the same to be Wound upon a reelwithout danger of adherence between'convolutions; After emergence from the tank In with its film-like coating, the strand 22 or itsequivalent should preferably be held in a suspended condi tion until the coating is dry. The coating of bubbles produced from water-soluble soap and similar froth-producing materials will effectively dry in a fraction of a minute.

The tacky material may vary widely in char- 7 acter from ordinary rubber through synthetic 7 rubber andother' polymers and copolymers, all

of which are of rubbery character and, hence, A

froth-producing substance such as pine oil, for

instance, would preferably not be employed in reducing the tackiness of the surface of some materials such, for instance, as ordinary rubher, though suitable for rubber-like materials v such, for instance, as neoprene and Buna-N.

instances where insulated wire of copper or the like has its insulating covering extruded thereon at a relatively high temperature, the insulating materialwill usually maintain enough heat upon emergence from the tank ID with its.

-- film of adhesiveness-reducing material, to effect the very rapid evaporation of the solvent in the said film;

By means of the present invention, it becomes unnecessary to employ soapstone or other powdery material which contaminates the air and is injurious not only to the health of the operators but is also injurious to adjacent machinery. Furthermore; instead of applying the adhesiveness-reducing material in a liquid form to the material to be treated, the application in froth or bubble form not only minimizes the consumption of material but avoids untidy conditions around the equipment and produces a film which is sothin as'to rapidly dry while still being amply The invention may be carried out in other specific ways than those here-in set forth without departing from the'spirit and essential characteristics of the invention, and the present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and

' 'all' changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.

I to, the tacky surface of a continuous length of said strand to permit said strand to be wound on a reel without adherencebetween successive to the tacky surface of a continuous length of on a reel without adherence between successive convolutions, comprising the steps of bubbling a gas through a body of foam-producing tackinessreducing coating liquid which is a nonsolvent for the said rubbery material to produce a body of coating'lfoam supported, on the surface of said body of coating liquid; and then passing said continuous length of strand through said foam to coat the tacky surface of said strand with a quick=drying tackiness-reducing coating film.

3. In the process of manufacturing a strand of rubbery material having a tacky surface: the method of applying a quick-drying coating film said strand to permit said strand to be wound i on a reel without adherence between successive convolutions, comprising the steps of providing a body of saponaceous foam supported on the surface of a body of saponaceous liquid; and then 5 passing said continuous length of'strand'through ceous coating film.

said saponaceous foam to 'cover the tacky surface of said strand with a quick-dryingsapona '4. In'the process of manufacturing a strand of a rubber-base material having a tacky surface:

the method of applying a quick-drying saponaceous coating film to' the tacky surface of a continuous length of said rubber-base strand to permit said rubber-base strand to be wound on a reel without adherence between successive convolutions, comprising the steps of providing a body of saponaceous foam supported on the surface of a body of saponaceous liquid; and then passing said continuous strand of rubber-base material through said saponaceous foam to cover the tacky surface of said strand of rubber-base material with a quick-drying saponaceous coating film.

5. In'the process of manufacturing a strand of a synthetic rubber material having a tacky surface: the method of applying a quick-drying pine oil coating film to the tacky surface of a continuous length of said synthetic rubber strand to permit: said synthetic rubber strand to be wound on a reel without adherence between successive convolutions, comprising the steps of providing a body of pine-oil foam supported on the surface of a body of foam-producing pine oil;

and then passing said continuous strand of synthetic rubber material through said pine oil foam to cover the tacky surface of the strand of synthetic rubber material with a quick-drying pine oil coating film.

7 reel without adherence between successive convolutions, comprising the steps of bubbling a gas through a body of liquid soap solution to produce a body of soap bubbles supported on the surface of said body of liquid; and then passing said continuous strand of rubber-base material through said body of soap bubbles to coat the tacky surface of said strand of rubber-base material with a quick-drying saponaceous coating film.

ROBERT H. SPERZEL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

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